No sting in tale for Roughyeds

Photo: Ian Lovell

TRY TIME: Jon Ford touches down for Oldham.

2 More Image(s) In Gallery

SOUTH WALES SCORPIONS 12, OLDHAM 50

Scott Naylor’s boys did a workmanlike job to improve their points column with a 50-12 walkover.

Ten tries on a firm pitch were enough to take Roughyeds to the top of the table, with three wins from three games.

They were determined not to leave their enthusiasm on the team coach after a five-hour journey and set off in dominant mood, with tries by Nathan Mason, George Tyson and Jon Ford in the first 15 minutes.

When Jack Holmes crossed for their fourth try in the 23rd minute, and Lewis Palfrey converted for a 20-0 lead, a one-sided game was as good as won.

Scorpions tried hard and didn’t surrender, but were simply overrun by the strength of Oldham’s forwards, their ability to produce quick play and, on the back of those, the footballing craft and creativity of first Gareth Owen and later Kenny Hughes.

Owen was at the heart of everything Oldham did best until he was replaced by Hughes after half an hour of Roughyeds’ pressure.

Mason, the Joy brothers and Michael Ward punched holes up the middle, while Holmes looked comfortable and quietly self-assured at half-back and, further out, Tom Ashton again looked a class act at centre in only his second game for the club.

No side will relish defending against a couple of centres with the all-action style and aggression of Ashton and Tyson.

It was a blow to lose Ashton with a knee injury shortly before half-time, but Tyson continued to impress and up stepped Danny Langtree to take the second half by storm. Scoring two second-half tries, constantly ripping the home defence apart and setting up another score for left-wing Jarrod Ward with one of several long-range raids, ‘Langers’ was back to his eye-catching best.

Loose-forward Liam Thompson, albeit in a totally contrasting role, also produced a performance of which he could be justifiably well satisfied. Typical of Thompson’s hard work this season was his huge effort here 41 tackles split evenly over the two halves.

Never afraid to make changes and use his full squad, Naylor followed up his decision to rest six regulars against Coventry by again shaking up his team. He left out Adam Clay, Steve Roper, Adam Neal, Adam Files and teenager Tom Dempsey, while electing not to use dual-reg players.

Roughyeds led 26-6 at half-time and finished the job with a Langtree-inspired second half which produced another five tries.